Coin-controlled dispensing machine



Aug. 10 1926.

P. D. PARSONS coIN CONTROLLED DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Sept. 10, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet i "l l ll l lfl h uq m Mm" l l lH H N "Uh H id.

IN VEN TOR. r l9 P ATTORNEY Aug 10 ,1926.

P. D. PARSONS COIN CONTROLLEDDISPENSING MACHINE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1920 VIJIIIIIIIIIIIJll'lilllrllllllllbpll v IN V EN TOR.

V n s s g, v rior details; Fig. 8 1s a sectional view, s1m1- lar to F1g.2, b'ut with the com-controlled Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED j STATES TENT OFFICE.

' PHILIEQD. PARSONS, OF 'ZPH'ILADELPHIA, PENN$YLVANZ[A, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENLPS, SCOTT IPA-PER' COMZPANY; A CORPORATION 015 PENNSYLVANIA,

Application filed September My invention has fora-n object: mechanism, preferably coin-controlled, for enabling paper towels'and other" articles, arranged within a'cabinet, to be dispensedjin regulated quantities {and in the preferred construction of the mechanism, 1 make the operativeparts in such form and adapt them to cooperate insuch manner that upon one or more coins being deposited 'before'opera'tion, the mechanismfmay be operated repeatedly, once for each coin dep'o'sitedpreliminary to the operation. the devices acting to discharge or deliver a towel orarticle with eachfoperation.

My object is further to provide a construction of coin operated mechanism which is adapted, by slight change, easily and quickly made, to suitco' ins of di'fi'erent countries, so that them'achines as they come from the factory in'aylbe'readily adjusted for the particular coin to be employed as thecontrolling means. V I

My object is further to so construct the operating parts that they are few and simple in strncture'and can ireadily .be'removed-and replaced or substituted in part or in whole withoutthe necessity of any tools.

With the above and other objectsin view, the nature of which will be more fully understood. from the description hereinafter, the invention. consists in the novel construction of coin controlled dispensing machines, as hereinafter more'l'ully described and defined in the claims.

:In the drawings: Fig. 1 isa front View of a dispensing machine embodying my invention having the upper portion broken away; F 2 is an end view of the same with'the end portion broken away to 'showthe 'inte mechanism shown at the completion of its discharging movement; Figit' is' a perspec tive view "of the coinmoiitrolled mechanism separated from the case and Fig. 5 is an end view of the ejector cylinder.

2 is the case and maybe made o'f any shape desired, but in the partic ular example, I here shown, it is made rectangular inform and suitable for receiving a stack of folded paper towels 6, in any number desired, ,ar ranged one above the other and from which the lowermost towel is discharged at each operation. The lower part ofthe case is oom-oon'rnozcmin nrsrnns'rne MACHINE.

.10, 1920. .seriai'lvdi 409,348.

providedat"itsjrear with an inwardly directed Sl'lellfahw hlbll preferably inclines upward and terininatesjin a beaded part; .3 which acts as asupport for the towels near tl1eir middle; and throughout their length, the 'shelfjinsur'ing a firml'support for as manytowels' injthe stack as may be desired.

The forward portion of the bottom part or" the case"is provided with a second inclined shelf 4 which extends 'bac'kw ard' and downward and" tel minates in afbead'ed edge .5; said'sh'e'lf 4 acting to support the stack of towels at their forward portions but so as to permit one of the under flaps 8 of the 9 i t 0. 9. f l-b -fg vi y d be sustainedfin po tionf'upon and so as to "be received by therotary ejector. The ejector comprises the cylindrical, body .9 secured unon'heads 13 'fastened to the shaft. 14 journaled in. the casing,,the said body being slit along its length to form the outwardly extending jaw 11 andthe'i'nwardly bent flange 10 and providing betweenjthem 'the longitn'dmal t hroat12 to' receivefthe "8 of the towehwhenthe ejector is rotate d. 15 is a springnrranged' about shaft 14, having one end connected "with .one 1 of the heads 13 of the ejector and "the other end connected with the l'naincase; so; that normally the ejector is returnedto the position shown in beaded edge 3 of the-shelf '3. The rotary ejector 91s operated by th'e mechanismto be now described. 1 H

Theend Ofth'e ejector-shaft 14 is provided with 'a pinion '16. Meshing with the pinion '16 is a driving g'ea'r l"? provided with sufficient 'teet-h'to give the pinion and ejector approximately three-quartersof a revolution asa mini'mtim. The driving 'gear 17 is provided with-a wing nut QO by "which to rotate it and also has a coin slot 18. through it, providing a runway '36 for the coin deposited through the slot 19 in' the front plate 126 {of thef'case. -'Ner;ma11y, ;t-he slot in the gear 17 "is inclined" so that, the coin will roll backward through the gear tofa position in frontof the pi ion-16am coin carrier 'gear 21, as indicatedjin dottejdflines in Fig. 2'. I-ffone or inoref coii'ij's are 'inthe's1ot-18 ofthe gear-(17 and the said gear should be rotated, the said coins cannot escape .as they cannot fall downward by reason iof'the runway 36, orv when the slot '18 is vertical by the part 35? which forms a curved floor beneath the not so material in the normal'position be-' cause the jaw 11 ot' the ejector 9 acts to stop rotation oi pinion 16 by contact with shell 3 (Fig. 2), but in the ejecting movement (Fig. it is important that the parts shall be arrested at the proper time and this is insured by contact of the end of slot 23 with the pin 2%. The gear 21 is further provided with the coin stop made in the form or a lateral liange against the end of which the coin rests, as shown in Fig. 2; and moreover, lower portion of this gear is provided with the coin guide floor 3 L upon which the coin rests, as indicated, said floor also proa runwayfor coins or slugs of smaller diameter which may be vinserted in the machine and whose presence are not intended to be capable of operating the mechanism. in case of the deposit oi these smaller coins or slugs they pass the gear 21 and leaving the runway the cot are received upon, the guide 32 by which they are directed into the coin drawer38, which has a portion divided oft for receiving them. 7

Referring again to the coin carrier gear 21, will be noted that in addition to the operating teeth 37 to insure its rotation, it has a wide space or gap between the teeth 37 and 38 for operation with pawl 29 and teeth 39 (together with teeth 38) for op eration with pawl 27, which latter insures complete or full torwardrotary movement and discharge of a coin which is in the custody of the gear 21, while pawl 29 is to pre vent rvard movement to the carrierwhen no coin .is present. The pawls 2? and 29 are preferably each pivoted upon the same stud 2S and are so arranged that when pawl 29 down to engage the space or gap be tween the teeth 87 or 38, the pawl 2'? is held up clear or" the teeth 39 and high enough for tooth 26 to pass, and vice versa, pawl 27 acting a means for preventing backward rotation 01"- the carrier 23. except when there is no coin present. it will further be noted that the gear 21 is provided with a high tooth 26 which normally holds the pawl 29 up (Fig. 2), the particular function oi 'this being to also hold up the part30 of this pawl to permit the coin to roll into position against the stop 25 and position itself under the said part 30 or" the pawl. The high tooth 26 does not directly act on the pawl 27, so that, as shown in Figs. .2 and l, it is free to engage the teeth 39. it will now be understood that when the carrier gear .11 is rotated cloclo wise with the coin in position 2), the

high tooth releases the-pawl 29 but part 2-50 thereof then rests upon the coin and hence cannot tall sutliciently to enable the pawl' to engage the teeth 37 or 38. The discharging movement may, therefore, continue with the other pawl 27 acting freely and trailing over the teeth 39, 26 and 38 of gear 21, and thus prevent the back movement of the, carrier while the coin is in transit. When the positions of the parts reach those indicated in Fig. 3, the coin is thrown onto the coin guide 31 of the case and by it guided down into the drawer 38. The discharge of the coin releases the part 30 and with it the pawl which falls and rests upon the teeth and, at the same time, by its superior weight, it engages and lifts pawl 27 clear or the teeth of the gear 21 and permits it to rotate backward to its initial position where it is again lifted by the high tooth 26 (Fig. It will be seen that the pawl 27 requires the ejecting moven'ient to continue until com-f pietcd and the coin deposited in drawer 33, so that only one towel will be delivered for one coin; and pawl 29 prevent-s rotation 0t carrier gear 21 and the operation of the ejector 9 if no coin has been deposited and retained against thestop 25. Should an attempt be made to eject a towel without de positing the coin, the high tooth 26 will be moved to quickly llow the pawl 29 to enthe wide gap between the teeth 37 and and prevent more than a very slight rotation of the ejector and carrier gear before the pawl-engages teeth 87 to prevent further rotation; and when the handle 20 released, the spring 15 returns the high tooth again under the pawl 29, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the parts are automatic.

More particularly referring to the two pawls 29 and 2'7, it is to be understood that these pawls, while pivoted upon the same pin or stud 28, are independently movable about said pin as a fulcrum. They, however, contact with each other adjacent to the pin in such a manner that'when the pawl 29 fully dro as by gravity, it operates to lift the lighter pawl 27 clear of'the teeth on the carrier rotated receive pawl 29 is lifted out of the, widespace or anticlockwise to reset the carrier to gap between the teeth 37 and 38, whether it. is raised by the high tooth 26, as in Fig. 2,-

or bv the coin in passing, the pawl 27 is then free to tall by gravit-y into engagement with the teeth on the carrier gear 21 and to act as a full stroke pawl, as shown in Fig. 2, to

prevent "anticlockwise movement of the car-,5

This necessitates the carrier gearhowever, it ceases to bean active pawl to.

prevent backward movementwhen the cargear 21, so that said gear may be another coin. WVhen, however, the

h I 5 a ier gearQ-l is turned antirdockwise, because the pawl 29 drops to the position shown in Fig 3 and this action lifts the pawl 27 out of engazgement: with the teeth of the carrier gean When the carrier is further moved with the teeth 39 on the carrier 7 tor two addiihere is room in: gear 1 tionalcoins, so that three coins may be d posited, and'in such event'the handle 2!) may be operated three times in succession, ejecting onetowel at each operation.

The use of the long tooth 26 is to-suii icieiitly raisethe'part 3O andlits attached pawl 29 to enable the coin to pass-below it until stopper by the stop flange on the carrier In =thismanner, coins much larger'than those indicated indotted lines in 2 and 3 may be permitted. to enter into operative position, but if the device is intended to work only with a coin of a definite diameter, this T toot-h26may be filed down'to permit the normal maximum raising of the part 30 to be just suflicient to-permit the entrance of the coin; If there is no coin in position to raise the part 30, then when the carrier 21' is moved clockwise just sutlicient to enable the t'ooth26 to release the p wl 29, said pawl would fallintoth'e wide notch or gap and engage the teeth 37. and prevent a clockwisemovement 'of the'carrier gear and hence prevent adischarge of a towel. As shown in the" drawing (Fig. 2.), the presence of the longitooth 26 would permit the device to be operated by an English halfpenny, but if,

itlwasto be. usedonly for the American cent oi ot hersmaller sized coin, the long tooth 26 maybe filed off' to any degree desired to make the device operate for any desired of coin. The longtcot'h, therefore, is to enable the coin lock to be readily adapted to the. size: of the'coin to be employed and hence to suit the commercial markets of different countries.

A short bridge piece is provided between the gears 17 and 21, to provide a runway for the coin from gear to gear. It will be seen that there are only four operative arts, and these are removab-ly positioned; hence the device is exceedingly simple and :not liable to become worn or get out of order. In case of breakage, repairs may'readily be made by a person of ordinary intelligence. Thecoin operable parts are covered by an end plate 40 which may be locked or otherwise secured in position for permitting access when desired.

More particularly referring to the ejector operation, the forward rotation of the ejector receives the flap 8 of the towel in the throat 12, causing itrto be bent over thejaw 11 and pulled dowinvard, which action-continues to also pull down the body of the towel back of the front plate 4: toapositionv above the lower shelf 41 and practically. rcleasing the towel fromthe rear shelf?) also. The return of the ejector releasesthetowel and leaves the same in position on the shelf 41 to be removed hvhand. hen one towel is removed, the flap or tab 8 of'the next lowermost towel falls bygravitu to position shown in Fig. 2. and the operation maybe repeated by deposition of or presence of another coin. i

The mechanism. isdesignedtooperate from any predetermined sized coin such as founc in the United States and foreign countries, and the adjustment is made by cutting back the stop flange 25 of gear'21 to permit the coin to enter far enough to properly cooperate with the pawl part 30' and to be carried with the gear 21 when rotated.

Theconstruction of my improved. machine is such that the towels are inaccessible normally, and only one towel can heobtained for one coin. It will'be' understood, how& ever, that in those cases where the machine is installed and it is not desired that pay for the towels shall beexactechthe inachine'may be. employed for dispensing without. coins by simply removing the pawls 29 and 27 or the 'gear21 itself, ifdesired. I

In this application noclaim ismade for the cabinet or vending machine as dis tinguished from the details of the coin controlled lock therefor, as the same forms part of my application Serial Number 5&2; 2&5 filed March 9, 1922, upon which Letters Patent No. 1,424,772, dated August 8th, 1922, was granted and constituting a division of this application. 1 1

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and'useful' construction which embodies the'fcatures of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the character stated, a rotary oscillating operating part for whatever purpose intended, combined with a pinion thereon, a coin-controlled means for locking said, rotary oscillating operating part against movement except when a coin is present formed of a pivoted coin carrier having teeth meshing with the pinion or the rotary oscillating operating part and also having means for receiving and supporting a coin, a pawl for normally preventing rotation of the coin carrier but adapted to be raised to unlocking position by the coin, and a second pawl for locking the coin carrier against return movement when it contains a coin, said second pawl moved out of operative position by gravity action or the lirst mentioned pawl.

2.111 a coin controlled dispensing machine, a case for the articles having sup porting means at the bottom, combined with ejecting means, a spring to normally hold the ejecting means in its initial position, and hand operable coin-controlled means for actuating the ejecting means comprising a train of gears, one of which directly actuates the ejector, another of which is provided with hand operating means and has a guide slot for the coin, and the remaining or carrier gear having means i'or receiving the coin and conveying it to a coin receptacle, and locking means controlled by the coin in the custody of the carrier gear to prevent the carrier gear from rotatino except when the coin is present,

3. he invention according to claim 2, further provided with a pawl to prevent a return movement to the coin carrier gear until a full movement of said gear and discharge of the coin has taken place.

4. The invention according to claim 2, wherein the coin carrier gear has an inclined floor for the coin and a lateral coin stop flange at a higher elevation to contact with the upper part of the normal coin, but so as to leave a clear space between it and the inclined floor to permit the free passage and discharge of coins or lesser than normal diameter.

5. A dispensing cabinet combined with an ejecting means, and a coin-controlled operating means comprising a plurality of disk shaped parts in geared relation. one of which is hand operated and is provided with an inclined coin guide slot through it in the plane of its rotation one end of said slot initially in alinement with a coin slot in the cabinet, and another of which disk shaped parts acts as a coin carrier and is provided with an inclined coin runway or floor and a lateral stop flange at a higher level to provide a clear space between it and the runway or "floor to permit passage and discharge of all coins of lesser than normal diameter, a coin-controlled pawl for normally preventing the coin-carrier disk being rotated but releasing it when a coin is present. V

The invention according to claim 5, further having the coin carrier disk provided with a. high tooth for initially raising the pawl to permit the coin passing to the disk below the pawl preliminary to the dispensing operation. I

The invention according to claim 5, further having a locking pawl for preventing a return movement to the coin carrier disk until a full movement has been made and the coin discharged.

8. Tilt) invention according to claim 7, wherein the locking pawl is normally held out of action by the coin-controlled pawl except when a coin is present.

9. Th invention according to claim 5, wherein the slotted portion of the hand operated disk is of sufficient length to receive and hold a plurality of coins, where by the machine may receive coins sufficient to permit a series of successive ejection of articles. V

10. In a device of the character stated, a coin carrier disk having the inclined runway or floor and lateral projecting coin stop flange at a distance above the floor at a distance slightly less than the diameter of the normal coin to be supported so that the coin rests against its forward edge, said flange of radially narrow thickness and adapted to be filed back toa greater or less distance to adapt the machine to coins of different diameters to suit usesin different countries.

In testimony of: which-invention, I here-..

unto set my hand PHILIP D. reasons. 

